Understanding immigrant families from around the world: introduction to the special issue.

Investigations of immigrant families enable researchers to trace family processes and children's psychological adjustment in the presence of trenchant sociocultural change, cultural conflict, family dislocation, and the need for readjustment to new social environments. This special issue of 15 articles presents psychosocial research on immigrant families and children residing in Canada, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, Portugal, and the United States. The articles focus on the psychosocial adaptation of immigrant families, parenting practices and their implications for child outcomes, and the importance of parent-adolescent relationships for adolescent mental health. Most of the articles are based on quantitative research methodologies. It is concluded that research on immigrant families is well suited to advance knowledge about the mutual dependence of dynamic sociocultural and family processes.

Chuang SS ，Gielen UP 《JOURNAL OF FAMILY PSYCHOLOGY》

From peers to policy: how broader social contexts influence the adaptation of children and youth in immigrant families.

This chapter provides an overview of non family contexts that shape the development and adjustment of children and youth from immigrant families. It also describes the four chapters in this special issue that focus on peer, network, legal, and institutional contexts that influence the lives of immigrant parents and their children. Directions for future research on the social contexts of development in immigrant families are discussed.

Yoshikawa H ，Way N 《-》

Acculturation and adjustment among immigrant Chinese parents: mediating role of parenting efficacy.

This study examined parenting efficacy beliefs as a mediator of the association between acculturation and adjustment. The sample consisted of 177 immigrant Chinese mothers and fathers with early adolescent children in Canada. Acculturation was assessed bidimensionally as Canadian and Chinese orientations. A latent psychological adjustment variable was composed of symptoms of depression, feelings of self-esteem, and life satisfaction. Results showed that relations between Canadian orientation and psychological adjustment were partially mediated by parenting efficacy. As expected, the more parents were oriented toward Canadian culture, the more efficacious they felt in their parenting, which in turn was associated with better psychological adjustment. In contrast, mediation of relations between Chinese orientation and psychological adjustment was not supported, as Chinese orientation was not associated with parenting efficacy and was positively associated with psychological adjustment for mothers only. Similar results were found when the meditational model was extended to evaluate parenting practices as an outcome (i.e., warmth, reasoning, and monitoring). That is, parenting efficacy mediated the relation between higher Canadian orientation and more positive parenting practices, whereas Chinese orientation was unrelated to parenting practices. Invariance testing suggested that the models were similar for mothers and fathers. Results support the theory that higher orientation to Canadian culture may advance feelings of parenting efficacy because parents have the cultural knowledge and skills to feel confident parenting in a new intercultural context. Further, they support the expectation that parenting efficacy beliefs, in turn, are important determinants of psychological adjustment and effective parenting for immigrant parents.

Costigan CL ，Koryzma CM 《-》

Positive parenting, family cohesion, and child social competence among immigrant Latino families.

The relation between positive parenting, family cohesion, and child social competence was examined among Latino families (predominantly from Mexico) who were recent immigrants to the United States. A mixed method study was conducted, including both pre- and post-test self-reported surveys (9-month interval) and qualitative data from focus groups. A total of 282 parents and 282 children (ages 9-12) participated in the survey study. Results at post-test follow-up indicated that family cohesion predicted improvements in child social problem-solving skills and social self-efficacy, and positive parenting predicted improvements in child social self-efficacy. A total of 12 mothers participated in the focus group study that was designed to explore barriers to positive parenting and family cohesion in this population. Results from focus groups revealed four major themes impacting parenting and family cohesion: (a) acculturation differences between parents and children and the resulting power imbalance; (b) difficulty getting involved in their child's education; (c) loss of extended family; and (d) discrimination against immigrants and legal status. The implications for family support programs for immigrant Latino families and their children are discussed.

Leidy MS ，Guerra NG ，Toro RI 《-》

Predictors of mental health among adolescents from immigrant families in Portugal.

The aims of this study were to investigate the degree of mental health problems among adolescents with immigrant background in Portugal and the factors that may predict mental health problems. The study sample consisted of 755 immigrant adolescents from seven ethnocultural groups (Cape Verdeans, Angolans, Indians, Mozambicans, East Timorese, Sao Tomese, and Guineans) and 320 native Portuguese adolescents. Generally, most respondents did not report major psychological adjustment problems. Adolescents from immigrant families reported fewer mental health problems than their native Portuguese counterparts, and girls reported more mental health problems than did boys. Predictive factors-sociodemographic, intercultural contact, and psychosocial adjustment variables-were significantly linked to youths' mental health. Major predictors of poor psychological adjustment were perceived discrimination, social difficulties, and behavioral problems. As expected, different factors explained the psychological adaptation of adolescents by gender. Implications of the study for counselors are discussed.

Neto F 《JOURNAL OF FAMILY PSYCHOLOGY》